Pneumatic elevator



Jan.22',1-924. 1,481,490 T. C. VAUGHN PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR Filed June 22.1921 2 Sheats-Sheet 1 Jan. 22, 1924.

T. C. VAUGHN PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR Filed June' 22. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Jan. 22, 1924.

UNH'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR.

Application filed June 22, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY G. V AUGHN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Morris, in the county of Stevens and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic E16.-vators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in pneumatic elevators fordelivering grain into bins and the like, and has for its object toprovide an extremely simple and highly eflicient structure, as willhereinafter appear.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the noveldevices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan View of theinvention with some parts sectioned;

Fig. 2 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in central verticalsectiontaken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig 3 is a view in transverse vertical section taken on the line 33 ofFig. 1.1 a

The numeral 4 indicates a cylindrical fan casing having, at its bottom,a tangential horizontally disposed discharge throat 5, and the numeral 6indicates a stack, the lower end of which is connected to said throat byan elbow 7. WVithin thefan casing 4, is a fan 8, the shaft 9 of whichis.

mounted in adjustable bearings lOcarried bybrackets 11 bolted to a pairof laterally spaced sills 12. On one end of the fan shaft 9 is a pulley13 over which runs a belt not shown, for driving the fan 8. The fan 8 isdriven in a direction to deliver a blast of air upward in the stack 6through the throat 5 and elbow 7 Co-operating with the blast of air inthe stack 6 to deliver grain through said stack, is horizontallydisposed paddle wheel comprising a cylindrical body or hub 15, havingintegral with its periphery, circumferentially spaced solid flanges'15to which are secured radially disposed solid blades 16. These blades 16overlap the flanges 15 and are adjustably nd detachably secured there-Serial No. 479,550.

to by nut-equipped bolts 16" which extend through bores inthe flanges 15and radially extended slots 16 in said blades. The slots 16 permit theblades 16 to be adjusted radially to vary the distance between theiredges and a housing for the paddle wheel for a purpose that willpresently appear. The overlapping of the blades 16 with the flanges 15"forms tight joints therebetween.

The paddle wheel is mounted on a shaft 17 journaled in bearing heads 18secured to the ends of a cylindrical housing 19 for said paddle wheel.This housing 19 is set into an opening in the top of the fan casingthroat 5 and is provided with an opening 20 through which grain isdelivered, by the paddle wheel, into the fan casing throat 5 and in thedirection of the blast of air from the fan 8. The discharge opening 20extends the i'ull width of the housing 19 which has awidth equal to thediameter of the stack 6 and the blades 16 extend through said housingwith just suflicient space to clear the heads thereof.

The housing 19 is provided, diametrically opposite the discharge opening20, with an extension 22 having a bottom 23'which inclines toward thebottom 21 of said housing. This extension 22 affords an intake openingthrough which grain may. be delivered under the action of gravity, onthe inclined bottom 23 to the bottom 21 of the housing 19, where it willbe caught or picked up by the blade 16 of the paddle wheel and deliveredthrough the opening 20 into the blast of air from the fan 8. It will benoted that the discharge opening 20 terminates below the top of the fancasing 5 to aflord a deflecting flange 25. By reference to Fig. 2, itwill be noted, that certain of the blades 16 are always in position toextend diametrically through the casing 19 and thereby separate or forma partition between the discharge opening 20 and intake opening 24.

As previously stated, the blades 16 are solid and, as shown in Figs. 2and 3, they extend from one end of the housing 19 to the other and tothe periphery thereof, and thereby divide. said housing into a pluralityof non-communicating compartments except between the outer longitudinaledges of the blades and the housing.

In the bottom of the housing 19 is a depression or pocket/'19 having, inits back, an opening 19 "'in the directv line of blast from the fan 8.This, pocket 19 is formed,

as shown, by extending the bottom 21, substantially, tangentially fromthe discharge opening 20 into underlapping arrangement with the bottom2], rearward of the opening 19 The space between the sections of thebottom 21 is partly closed by a depending flange l9 which terminatesabove the bottom of the pocket a distance sufficient to give the opening19 the desired height.

To deliver grain into the housing extension 22, there is provided ahopper 26 hav- -1ng an inclined bottom which terminates in a spout 27which opens into one end of the housing extension 22. Grain may bedischarged into the hopper 26 from a wagon box or other vehicle. Thepaddle wheel is driven in the same direction as the fan 8, therefrom,but at a slower speed, by means of a sprocket chain 28 which runs over arelatively small sprocket wheel 29 on the fan shaft 9 and over arelatively large sprocket wheel 30 on the paddle shaft 17 The operationof the improved pneumatic elevator may be briefly stated as follows:

Grain discharged into the hopper 26 slides down the bottom thereof andis fed through the contracted spout or neck 27 to the inclined bottom 23of the housingextension and is carried therefrom, under the action ofgravity, onto the bottom 21 of the housing 19, where it is caught orpicked up by the blades 16 of the paddle wheel and thrown, thereby, intothe fan casing neck 5 and blast of air from the fan 8. The capacity ofthe elevator may be governed, at will, by regulating the speed of thefan and the paddle wheel.

One purpose of the'air vent 24 is to relieve the airpressure, producedby the paddle wheel when revolving at a very high speed, which wouldtend to hold back light grains and retard the movement thereof, to theblades 16 of the paddle wheel. A further purpose of the air vent 24 isto relieve back pressure from thestack produced .when elevating grain ata great height, which requires a very strong blast of air from the fan8. If it were not for the air vent 24,

i this back pressure would produce a force in the pockets of the paddlewheel formed by the blades 16 which would be carried there by to theintake for the paddle wheel and onto the grain and thereby retard themovement thereof, and particularly of light grains. By forming the airvent 24 between the discharge opening for the paddle wheel and theintake thereon, back pressure caught in the pockets of thepaddle wheel,will be released through said vent before reaching the intake for thegrain.

.To eliminate as much. as possible any back pressure from entering thehousing 19,-after the blades 16 have passed the opening 20, it is highlydesirable that said, blades travel as close to the cylindrical surfaceof the housing as possible, without danger of crushing grain or seeds onthe bottom 21 of said housing by the blades 16. Owing to the differentsizes of grains and seeds acted upon by the blades 16, said blades aremounted for radial adjustment so that they may beset, to work at thebest advantage. For instance, in elevating corn, the blades should beadjusted within, substantially, one-half an inch of the housing 19; inelevating wheat, the distance should be about one-quarter of an inch,and in elevating timothy or clover, the blades should be adjusted sothat they just clear the housing.

To further assist in preventing back pressure in the housing 19, thepocket 19 is provided, and which pocket is soon filled with grain orseeds after the paddle. wheel is started, and as each. blade 16 passesover the pocket, the grain is removed from the housing, only to thedepth at which said blades penetrate, thus leaving the pocket 19 filledwith grain, which acts as a damper to prevent back pressure fromentering between the blades 16 and housing bottom 21, and it also closesthe opening 19*. Before the pocket 19 is filled with grain, or in casethe same is emptied by the paddle wheel, a portion of the blast of airfrom the fan 8 will enter the housing 19 through the opening 19 andthereby interrupt any back pressure entering the opening 20 and againdirect the same toward the stack 6 where the same is caught by the blastfrom the fan and carried therewith.

The above described invention, while extremely simple and ofcomparatively small cost to manufacture, is thought to be highlyefficient for the purpose had in view and has few parts that are liableto get outof order. I

It is, of course, understood that the fan throat .5 and elbow 7 formsections of the stack 6, and, while said stack is shown perpendicular,it might, in some instances, be extended horizontally, obliquely, or invarione other positions. 1

What I claim is 1.. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination with astack, of means for delivering a blast of air into the stack, a housingextending into the stack and contracting the same and having a dischargeopening into the stack forward of the contracted portion thereof, meansfor delivering grain to the housing,-paddle bladesin the housing, andmeans for moving the paddle blades in a direction to deliver grain tosaid discharge, said housing having an air vent rearward of itsdischarge and exposed to the blast of air.

.2. In a pneumatic elevator, the combina tion with a stack, ofmeans fordelivering a stack forward of the contracted portion thereof, means fordelivering grain to the housing, paddle blades in the housing, means formoving the paddle blades in a direction to deliver grain to saiddischarge, and a deflecting flange extending into the stack at the topof the discharge.

3. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination with a stack, of means fordelivering a blast of air into the stack, a housing having an intake anda discharge, the latter of which opens into the stack, a pocket in thebottom of the housing between its intake and discharge, paddle blades inthe housing separating the same into non-communicating compartmentsexcept between the outer longitudinal edges of the paddle blades and thehousing, means for moving the paddle blades in a direction to delivergrain to said discharge, said paddle blades being arranged so that whenone thereof" is in a position to release grain to the discharge, afollowing paddle blade is in a position between the intake and thepocket and still another of said paddle blades is in a position betweensaid dis charge and intake and moving toward said intake.

4. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination with a stack, of means fordelivering a blast of air into the stack, a housing having an intake anda discharge, the latter of which opens into the stack, paddle blades inthe housing, and means for moving the paddle blades in a direction todeliver grain to the discharge, the bottom of the housing, between theintake and discharge, being rearwardly and downwardly inclined andhaving an air vent exposed to the blast of air.

5. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination with a stack, of means fordelivering a blast of air through the stack, a paddle wheel housinghaving a discharge opening into the stack, means for, delivering graininto said housing, a paddle wheel journaled in said housing means fordriving the paddle wheel in a direction to deliver grain through saiddischarge opening and into the blast of air, and an air vent in saidhousing rearward of its discharge opening and exposed to the blast ofair.

6. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination with a stack, of means fordelivering a blast of air through the stack, a paddle wheel housinghaving in its bottom a pocket, and also having a discharge opening intothe stack forward of said pocket, means for delivering grain into saidhousing, a paddle wheel journaled in said housing and means for drivingthe paddle wheel in a direction to deliver grain through said dischargeopenin and into the blast of air.

In a pneumatic elevator, the combination with a stack, of means fordelivering a blast of air through the stack, a paddle wheel housinghaving in its bottom a pocket, and also having a discharge opening intothe stack forward of said pocket, means for delivering grain into saidhousing, a paddle wheel journaled in said housing means for driving thepaddle wheel in a direction to deliver grain through said dischargeopening and into the blast of air, and an air vent in said pocketexposed to the blast of air.

8. In a pneumatic elevator, the combination with a stack, of a fanarranged to deliver a blast of air to the stack, a paddle wheel housinghaving a discharge opening into the stack, and also having in its bottoma pocket, said pocket having an air vent exposed to said blast of air, apaddle wheel journaled in the housing and working over said pocket, andmeans for driving the paddle wheel in a direction to deliver grain intosaid blast of air.

In testimony whereof I afiix my si nature.

TIMOTHY C. VAU HN.

